James Packer has urged Sri Lanka to develop casino resorts that will act as a magnet to the growing wealth among middle class Indians, just as Macau and Singapore have tapped into the same demographic trend among the Chinese.

Speaking to business and political leaders at a forum on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, due to begin on Thursday, Mr Packer said the country’s tourism authority’s goal to grow arrivals 24 per cent by 2016 was a “worthy goal" but could only be achieved with “the right tourism infrastructure and attractions".

The Crown chairman has appealed to the developing country to take advantage of its geographic location, noting it was connected to major shipping and air routes to the east and west and had redeveloped its port and aviation infrastructure, to become a tourism and business destination.

Mr Packer noted a McKinsey study which outlined the potential for incomes in neighbouring India to almost triple by 2025. The size of India’s middle class could rise to 580 million in the same time, he said. “With the rising affluence of India’s middle class population, spending patterns in the country are evolving with leisure-related purchases capturing a larger proportion of consumer spending," he said.

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He said that Singapore was a “case study" of how a country could attract a large share of wealthy Chinese visitors by investing in “iconic luxury hotel resorts with gaming as a component".

“Singapore has been able to successfully tap into the Chinese tourism market – receiving 1.5 million Chinese visitors in 2011, an increase of 34.7 per cent on 2010 and a 68 per cent increase on 2009 before the integrated resorts opened," he said.

The casino billionaire told the Commonwealth Business Forum that he had visited Sri Lanka five times in the past two years and felt a similar “sense of momentum, optimism and positive energy" that has underpinned the rise of Perth, as a major destination in the Asia Pacific. Perth, where Crown operates a casino, hosted the last CHOGM conference in 2011.

“But this success hasn’t come easy for Perth," he said. “Over the past decade the city and local authorities have worked very hard to make the city a destination for trade, commerce and tourism. Perth has strived to become a global hub for business and the city took the hard decisions to build targeted tourism infrastructure to lure global travellers."